A punishing result

Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Dorus de Vries says The Reds were punished for not nullifying Bristol City’s greatest threat last night.

The Dutch goalkeeper admitted the team were warned by manager Dougie Freedman that the hosts would look to get off to a strong start.

And Forest were unable to deal with their early pressure, falling 2-0 behind after 11 minutes and failing to turn the scoreline around.

De Vries admitted the team’s start wasn’t good enough.

Speaking after the match, he said: “I think they had loads more energy. They started off way better than us. The gaffer warned us as well. Before the game he said: ‘They’re going to put pressure on you in the first 15-20 minutes.’ And they punished us for it.

“I thought later on we created chances. Their goalie made a good save in the first half from Jack Hobbs’ header. That might have just turned the game our way and created a little bit of momentum. But it didn’t happen.”

Despite the defeat, de Vries has taken plenty of plaudits for an outstanding goalkeeping display that saw him make a number of excellent saves to keep his side in the match.

That, however, has come as scant consolation for the stopper.

De Vries said: “That’s part of being a goalkeeper sometimes. You’re just trying to keep your team in the game by not losing focus and staying sharp.

“Fortunately I could help my team in certain moments, but unfortunately we didn’t get a goal back to change the game.